Olympic Stadium: Tottenham still commited to White Hart Lane as West Ham are called hypocrites

06 October 2010 03:17

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Tottenham insist they remain fully committed to building a ground to replace White Hart Lane despite registering their interest in moving to the Olympic Stadium in east London.

Sport and entertainment group AEG have suggested their joint bid with Spurs to take over the Stratford site after the 2012 Games was more than just a 'Plan B' for the north London club.

But Tottenham, facing huge opposition from rival prospective tenants West Ham United, say they remain merely in a position of keeping their options open.

Battleground: Spurs and West Ham have both applied to take over the Olympic Stadium

Hammers co-chairman David Sullivan told Sportsmail he feared there would be civil unrest in east London if Spurs moved on to their patch, but his stance has been blasted by Leyton Orient chief Barry Hearn.

EXCLUSIVE:Expect riots if Spurs move into 2012 stadium, warns SullivanSullivan said: 'I think there could be riots, such is the ill feeling between West Ham and Spurs and I know the police feel the same.

'I feel very let down by Tottenham. The way they do business is not right. Now they want to move into our borough of Newham. How would they like it if we suddenly set up a new home in Haringey? I'm flabbergasted by the cheek of it.'

However, Hearn has vowed to fight West Ham's bid for the same reasons and he told the London Evening Standard: 'This is total hypocrisy on his part.

'This is a case of Tescos moving next to the little sweet shop on the corner as far as I'm concerned.

Eastern promise: Leyton Orient chairman Hearn is fighting the Hammers

'A club that has a 30,000-35,000 support base is moving into an 80,000-seater stadium. It obviously means very cheap tickets and it means a death knell for Leyton Orient.

'I'm not upset about Tottenham because they have no chance of getting it. We all know Tottenham are all using this to put pressure on Haringey Council to make sure they get planning permission on their redevelopment of White Hart Lane. That's a smokescreen.

'I'm upset because no one is talking about the damage West Ham will do us because it would be terminal. It would kill the club stone dead.'

Concern: Hammers chief Sullivan

The Metropolitan Police said there was no evidence to back up Sullivan's claim of 'civil unrest'.

West Ham's plan is to convert the stadium to a 60,000-capacity arena for football, athletics, concerts and community use.

AEG, whose bid includes the controversial removal of the ground's athletics track, yesterday insisted theirs is not a 'plan B' if Tottenham's hopes of a new home in north London do not work out.

But Tottenham said in a statement: 'We are aware that coverage of comments made by AEG have been interpreted by the media in various ways concerning the club's position in respect of the Northumberland Development Project and the Olympic Stadium site.

'We should like to make two things absolutely clear at this stage: firstly, we have registered an interest in the Olympic Stadium site in order to keep our options open going forward given the early stages we are in with the Northumberland Development Project scheme.

'This is a very preliminary stage and a pre-qualification questionnaire was completed jointly with AEG in order to meet the deadline for registration.

'Secondly, we continue to progress the application for the Northumberland Development Project with Haringey Council and will continue to do so with a view to achieving full consent.

'We have not changed our position and shall not do so without due consideration and consultation.'